Industry puts hope for Made in Europe Bonus for more added value!

Industry puts hope for Made in Europe Bonus for more added value!

On April 23, 2025, Andreas Mörk, Managing Director of the Federal Signed Industry in the Austria Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), expressed his positive assessment of the political plans for a "made in European bonus". Mörk found that many industrial companies would like to produce in Europe, but are exposed to considerable disadvantages due to high energy and labor costs as well as comprehensive bureaucracy. The "Made in Europe Bonus" aims to increase domestic and European added value by using European components in energy technology systems such as heating and photovoltaic systems.

Mörk welcomed the initiative, which should promote renewable energies in particular. This bonus is granted if at least a certain proportion of components from Austria or the EU comes. The bonus is intended to help improve the resilience, independence and diversification of European markets. In addition, Mörk emphasized the need to adapt the EU geriatric guidelines in order to introduce a mandatory value of around 40 percent in public tenders in order to achieve stronger focus on local production chains.

strengthening the business location

A location summit took place in Upper Austria, which focused on strengthening the economic and production location. A central topic was the expansion of renewable energies, especially photovoltaics. Despite a high demand for climate -friendly solutions, the majority of the required solar components are currently being obtained from China. Estimates by the International Energy Agency indicate that between 80 and 95 percent of the facilities installed in Europe come from this Asian country.

In order to reduce this dependency, the government is planning a change in the renewable development law. The proposal by Federal Minister Gewessler stipulates that companies are "made in European bonus" for companies that can prove that they use European components in their photovoltaic systems. For these companies, a bonus of up to 10 percent of investment grants could be granted if a minimum share of European components is met.

demands of the electrical and electronics industry

The specialist association of the electrical and electronics industry (Feei) has cheerfully recorded this proposal, but demands an extension of the bonus to other renewable energy sources, such as wind and hydropower. The Feei is the advocacy of around 300 companies that together secure around 72,000 jobs and have a production value of 23.34 billion euros (as of 2022). A competitive financial incentive of at least 30 percent is sought to ensure fair competitive conditions and to strengthen the position of the Austrian electrical and electronics industry in the international location competition.

The ongoing efforts in the EU and Austria thus set a clear sign of the promotion of renewable energies and the expansion of Austrian production capacities. Further information on the topics of energy and renewable energies can be found on the website of Eurostat .